Even science confirmed that vacations are essential to our overall health. The sooner you figure out when and where you want to go, the sooner you can take advantage of great deals and give yourself extra time to plan out your dream trip.
1. Why You Should Start Planning Your Summer Vacation Early
Summer is the most popular time to take a vacation for a reason: school holidays, events such as festivals, great weather and picturesque beaches. Increased demand goes hand in hand with higher prices and busy roads or airports. The sooner you have it all figured out, the better, for many reasons.
Less stress
The more you have planned ahead of time, the more at ease you’ll be. Last minute preparations such as packing always translate to stress. With the global pandemic, you also want to make sure you have all the documents besides the visa such as the PCR test. Not rushing will also help you ensure you leave your home in good condition. You need to make sure your AC is set on a reasonable temperature when you are away so you won’t have a sky-high Eversource bill waiting for you when you return.
Easier to request time off at work
If you’re looking at popular dates such as Labor Day weekend or around the Fourth of July, you want to ask for your days off ahead of time to ensure no one else did it before you.
More time to plan your dream vacation
You need time to make sure you go through your bucket list and make sure you will see everything you want to see. Most importantly, you will have more time to be excited about your upcoming trip.
You’ll save money
Buying tickets early usually means paying a lower fee, from airplane tickets to accommodation and everything in between. Avoiding last-minute shopping will also help you save money as you will be able to compare prices and find the best deal.
2. Vacation Tips That Won’t Break The Bank
In order to create a budget-friendly version of your dream vacation, you need to answer a few questions first. Do you want to see the mountains, relax on a sandy beach or explore a big city? Once you found your destination, you need to figure out if you want to plan out activities or plan to do nothing? As described above, planning ahead is essential to getting the best value for your hard-earned dollars, but there are also many other things you can do to make your vacation more affordable.
Travel light
Airlines are starting to charge for everything these days so the less you carry with you, the better.
Consider going tech-free
Whenever we feel burned out, going on a tech-free diet can help us in getting some much-needed rest. Despite its many benefits, technology also results in addiction and fatigue, making us forget to stop and smell the roses. Try adopting a minimalistic approach on your holiday and see how it goes – if anything you will save money from getting cellular data while giving yourself the opportunity to become even more mindful and enjoy your vacation even more.
Plan your meals
Touristic spots have ridiculously priced restaurants. Plan your meals ahead by googling economic restaurants that taste great. If possible, avoid the hotel breakfast deal as it almost always pays off more to go to a local bakery or nearby café.
Beware of the exchange rate
An exchange rate can sometimes make a big difference in your budget. Try booking the deal in the local currency so you can choose the rate at which you’ll do the exchange. When on location, a quick online search will tell you that the best exchange rate is found at the airport and using ATMs in France for example.
Take advantage of tax refunds
Some countries let you get all or part of the retail sales tax back. All you need is to ask for a form from the retailer and get it stamped on the airport or borderline crossing so make sure you allow some extra times as queues can be long. Some retailers in France give you the return on the spot whereas others refund it to your credit card after you send the form.
Takeaway
Vacations are an important part of life as taking the time to ‘reset’ actually helps us reset our mind which enables to return to work with a clear head, and ready to take on life’s challenges. The sooner you start planning, the more certainty you’ll have that you’ll dream vacation will go according to plan so you can make the most of the experience.